With only a couple of hours to go until the closing deadline for this year's Travel Highlights Competition, it is fantastic to be able to feature two entries from Val Vassay. As Val puts it in her e-mail, "Better late than never, as they say".

THE MAGIC OF THE ISLES

Vast expanses of sky; white sandy beaches miles long; thousands of lochs; crystal clear, unpolluted seas. Where are we? Oh yes, of course, we’re in the Outer Hebrides – my spiritual home, the islands I’ve been in love with ever since my uncle came to work here 50 years ago. And, just to make the magical even more magical, on this visit I’m accompanied by my wonderful younger son, Luke. Surely this must be heaven on earth?

THE MOST DANGEROUS WALK IN THE WORLD

I was worried about walking El Caminito del Rey (the King’s Little Walkway), in the mountains about 60 kilometres inland from Malaga. Before being closed for renovations in 2000 it had been a very dangerous walk, as this narrow, concrete path stapled onto the cliffs above the Guadalhorce River had fallen into disrepair and was full of holes and had never had any safety measures! I needn’t have worried. Now it’s a beautiful wooden walkway, with glass safety walls all along it and nothing to fear – well, except for the chunks of cliff that fall off occasionally!

Val Vassay

​I have been writing for some years now – short stories, newspaper/magazine articles and interviews, my memoirs, and travel articles. I have had some success – have even received payment for my efforts occasionally - but, of course, would like to be more successful. I’m currently doing NaNoWriMo for the first time. I hope I’ll succeed in writing 50,000 words in November, even if it turns out to be nothing worthy of publication. I enjoy writing and, having retired some years ago, it is an invaluable way of keeping my old brain ticking over!